Monday Morning The Complete Story
by Night Swept
Summary: Post Cocktails, Roy attacks Jim. The love triangle is forced to make painful realizations. 4407: Added 5 chapters to make 1 complete story.


CHAPTER 1: Monday Morning

She had promised herself a lot of things. She would be more honest, assertive. She wouldn't be anyone's doormat ever again. She would look people in the eye and mean what she said. Her desire to keep this promise she made to herself was strong enough to overpower her old, self-dismissive instincts that still plagued her all too frequently. She was living alone, driving her own car which she paid for all by herself. Art classes at night. Cooking for one-- finally cooking what she wanted to eat-- no more munching on side-salad while Roy and his brother devoured her labor-intensive meat offerings. She was also heavily in debt, but she didn't care. She was breathing again after years of slowly suffocating. She was nowhere near where she wanted to be, and getting there was making her feel alive again. And then her newfound strength failed her completely.

It was only for a brief moment. She would quickly recover, as she had trained herself to do. She was at her desk sorting through some paperwork when she heard the front door opening. Her instinctive upwards glance was met by pure hatred. Not the overt, in the moment, angry glare that was actually relatively common at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, but a frighteningly mechanical, unemotional, seething hatred-- so subtle and so real it was terrifying. Pam's supressed instincts took over and she quickly averted her eyes downward, shrinking in her chair and hiding from the world.

As she hurried by, Karen tried halfheartedly to force a smile as her eyes met Pam's, but before she could get her lips to move, Pam had recoiled and looked away. _In another life, we would be friends._ In fact, they had been friends. The weeks immediately after the merger had been a tough time for Karen-- she had left her friends, her family, her home behind in Connecticut. She was living in a motel in a lethargic new town, and worst of all, the man she had followed to this little crap-town had been treating her with an aloofness that he had shown none of in Stamford, the source of which Karen had not yet known. The low point for Karen came after Angela kicked her out of her stupid party planning committee meeting, and each of the other women withered when she glanced at them asking, begging, for their support. Karen slumped in her chair... exhausted, alone, beaten. Jim looked at her every once in a while and flashed an apathetic smile. Karen had so desperately wanted him to come over to her, to soothe her, to be the man she had gambled everything for. It was Pam, though, who had extended the lifeline to Karen with her simple offer of friendship. Karen had tried so many times to forget this, but she never quite could.

Ten minutes earlier, she had been pulling into the parking lot, riding happily in Jim's passenger seat, holding a coffee in both hands, enjoying the easy, gentle banter that had marked their relationship in Stamford but was only recently coming back. Jim had recently dropped his silly insistence that they not carpool to work to maintain some "professional separation." Not 48 hours earlier, Jim had told her she was beautiful. Not _looked beautiful_, but _was beautiful_. They had been at the cocktail party in New York all evening, and Karen felt pretty in her dress and makeup but Jim barely seemed to notice. Later that night, though, they curled up on Jim's couch in their pajamas to watch some TV and wind down the day, and after sharing a giggle at one of his snarky comments he had pulled her tighter toward him, looked over at her and waited until she made eye contact, and then he had said it. You're beautiful. She had melted for a moment, almost moved to tears before she attacked him.

As they got out of Jim's car, everything seemed normal enough. They hadn't noticed that the large truck parked a few spots away wasn't empty. Karen saw it coming at the last minute. Jim never saw it. Roy had emerged from the driver side and in an instant was on Jim. Roy didn't punch him, but pushed Jim hard with both hands back into the frame of Jim's Saab. As Jim recoiled, turned to face his attacker, and instinctively raised his hands to protect his face, Roy did punch him. Hard. Squarely in the face. Karen was in a state of panic-- she had gasped inaudibly, frozen briefly by sheer disbelief at what she was witnessing. To her horror, Roy drew back to hit the now stunned and defenseless Jim again, Karen picked up a word here and there from his screaming rage, "engaged" , "trusted," "asshole," but she really didn't care what this man had to say. It was almost as if she had watched the whole scene in slow motion as an observer. The burly man landed another punch. The skinny guy pinned against the car began to slump over, but the bigger man grabbed him with his left hand to hold him up so his right could keep punching. After the third punch, the sharp cry from the large man as the stream of scalding hot coffee came flying into his eyes and face. The woman, dwarfed by the two men, pulling out her keychain, flipping the cap off the tiny bottle of mace, and going right for the eyes. As he screamed and fell backwards, she had followed him, making sure to get some in his mouth before switching back to his desperately closed eyes. She was still spraying when a pair of large, gentle hands calmly restrained her and a deep voice eased her off her adrenaline rush. Lonny told her to take care of Jim - he would keep Roy away. 

That's when Jim broke her heart again. He had only just managed to stand up, and had to lean against his car to keep from keeling over. Blood was spurting from his head. He looked like hell. As Karen ran to hug him he only halfheartedly embraced her with one arm, all the while looking over her at the flattened Roy and gesturing with his other arm. "You never deserved her, you motherfucker. You never deserved her." When Karen, with the help of a now present Daryl dragged Jim away toward the building, he continued to try to face Roy, continued to yell. "She's too good for you, you prick." Karen didn't need to know who Jim was talking about. She could hear the passion in his voice. This wasn't standard post ass-kicking anger that had the normally mellow Jim yelling with such honest emotion. As she left Jim in the lobby with Daryl and ran upstairs to get some bandages, the words continued to stab her. _She's_ to good for you. You never deserved _her_. This was a guy who was barely rattled when she joked that she had slept with half of Dunder Mifflin corporate, and yet he held such a deep reservoir of jealous passion for _her_. A "crush." Jim would heal. They would talk this through and work it out again. Jim would convince her that he was with her now, and that things would be OK. She had come too far, fought too hard not to let him. Karen knew it would be a long time before Jim made her feel beautiful again.

Chapter 2: Monday Evening

Larissa Halpert had made the short drive to Scranton as soon as Jim's girlfriend had called her and told her what had happened. She had been understandably panicked. Her Jim... attacked?!... Jim had never had an enemy his whole life, as far as she new. He was such an easy man to get along with, and had such a warm, giving nature. How could someone want to attack him? It must have been a random mugging or street-thug.

A dark thought. That new girlfriend Jim had brought back from Connecticut. Did she bring some demons with her? An ex of hers attacking Jim in a jealous rage? An ex-husband maybe?  
A dealer? An ex-pimp? Larissa scolded herself for thinking this, but Jim had never come close to being put in the hospital by another person before. She had never met this girl. Jim had mentioned her but had not talked about her in any detail.

Just minutes from the hospital, her phone rang again. The news was good-- X-rays negative, no broken bones, no concussion, just lacerations and lots of swelling. Jim was sedated but all stiched up and could leave the hospital in a few hours when he woke up. Thank God. Her relief was overwhelming. She eased off the gas. She had been oblivious to the fact that she was doing 60 in a 35 zone. "Thanks Katherine. Thanks for the news. I'll be there soon." Hang up. Loosen your grip on the wheel. Breathe. He's OK.

After hunching over for a long, lingering hug with her swollen but surprisingly peaceful looking son, Larissa straightened up and turned to greet the woman behind the pair of pale green eyes that had been tracking her intently from the other side of the bed.

"Katherine?"

She was pretty. Not what she expected at all though... she was short-- Jim had never dated someone so much shorter than himself, and had a much different look about her than the leggy, large chested blonds than Jim had often dated through his high school and college years. Her pale eyes contrasted with her dark skin and were set just a little far apart... "Karen," she said, "my name is Karen."

"I 'm sorry . It's been a crazy day. I know your name, Jim has told me about you... its nice to finally meet you."

During the ensuing handshake, neither woman could tell whose hand was causing the subtle but noticeable tremble, but the awkward moment was mercifully interrupted by the ringing of a cell-phone.

Karen watched as Jim's mother pulled her hand back and reached for her cell phone. _You're son could be a vegetable right now if I hadn't been there._ Maybe Jim just didn't share a lot with his parents... little things like the name of the woman he'd been dating for six months.

"Oh hi Pam."

Hearing that name made Karen a little queasy, but hearing the familiarity and ease with which Mrs. Halpert said it knocked the wind out of her gut. Half of the conversation was all she needed to hear.

"No."

"Yes, he's going to be just fine. "

"No..."

"No need-- you stay put. He's sedated now but Ka...Karen and I will be here with him when we wakes up."

" OK thank you. I'll have him call you later."

"Tell Dwight I say hi."

"Oh, and Pam... congratulations on your art contest. Jim was so proud of you."

"Yup, one of these days we will."

Karen had never tolerated any form of abuse, not that it was common during her relatively normal, happy childhood. She had been beaten up a couple of times by bullies in junior high, but once they saw that she was willing to stand and fight they moved onto easier targets. The one drunken college fling who had overstepped her boundaries at a frat party had gotten a knee to the groin and a ticket right out of Karen's life. For God's sake, she had just pounced on a man over twice her size to save Jim from a beating.

This made her hate herself even more for the thoughts that floated though her mind as she listened to Jim's mother talk to her. What if Jim offered Karen a deal? She would lie face down on her bed and promise not to move, while he could take his belt or a coat hanger or whatever he wanted and beat her until she cried, until she screamed and pleaded. In return he would promise not to stop... not to stop until he didn't feel like hurting her ever again. Karen knew she would probably take that deal, and she hated herself for even thinking that. She hated the power that he had over her-- that he had stripped her of the strength that had protected her dignity her whole life. She also knew Jim would never lay a finger on her. _Look away, Karen, just look away._ _What is one more indignity?_

_Chapter 3: Awakenings_

Had he been in the parking lot at 9:07, the moment when Jim (late as usual) arrived, Everything would have been different. No fool, even an impassioned fool like Roy, would have willingly initiated physical combat in the presence of a known purple belt, at least not before ascertaining the loyalties, motivations, and probability of intervention from said purple belt. Jim acted like an idiot sometimes, but Dwight still had hope for him. Ever since his return from Stamford, he had been a little more serious, a little less focused on stupid pranks and other such timewasting nonsense. Although Jim didn't know it, Dwight still had a spot saved for him in the Dwight Schrute Army of Champions. He would come around. Had Roy still been foolish enough to attack, seeing Dwight save him from the rampaging Roy with a lethal array of power moves and submission holds would have likely deeply inspired Jim, accelerating his transformation from slacker to champion. Karen was there too when it happened. Although he was not romantically involved with her, it was his duty, the duty of the alpha male, to protect the women of his brood, and she was one such woman. Also, she had weak arms. Pam was another such woman, and when he had found her crying in the hallway outside the warehouse a couple of months ago, he had sprung into action without hesitation. _Who did this to you. Where is he._ He had looked around... the only guy there was the cameraman. Fortunately Pam had called him off before he moved to administer a relentless jackhammer beat down on the poor guy. Thank God it had just been PMS.

Mostly, he wouldn't have to live with the knowledge that Karen had been the one to save the day and not him. Dwight listened in as Kevin, who was leaning over the reception desk, slowly but excitedly chatted up a visibly numb-looking Pam. His words stung both secretary and lethal-champion-hero.

"I heard that Roy was beating up Jim, but ended up getting toootally beat up by Karen..."

Kevin paused for a moment while he tried unsuccessfully to swallow a giggle.

"...and then he started crying because he got beaten up by a girl. And also, he had mace in his eyes."

Kevin continued staring at Pam, nodding slowly behind his big grin. Pam was slowly suffocating.

"by a girl..."

"OK Kevin, that's enough." Pam felt sick. Again. She was still trying to swallow everything. The day had been unlike any other she had ever lived. Over the last few weeks, she had forced herself to chip away at the barriers, the walls in her mind that she had slowly built and hidden behind for the last ten years. They had kept her safe from harm, but also blinded her. She thought she had reinvented herself. She told herself that the walls were gone, that everything she thought and did was 100 real. She didn't realize how little she had really opened up to herself, though, until the sheer magnitude of this day had jostled her, overwhelmed her, destroyed her defenses. For real this time. _Roy could have killed a man today_. She had known he was capable of this kind of violence, but she had hidden this information from herself so well she was actually surprised when she heard the news. _Jim told his mom about my art._ His mom! Pam had never met Mrs. Halpert, but when Michael insisted she call Jim's emergency contact, Mrs. Halpert spoke to her on the phone with great warmth, great familiarity. Jim must talk about me a lot. Pam thought briefly of the time her mother had visited, and had wanted to meet Jim. She had talked about him to her mom a lot, too. _But Karen... Kar... We could have been friends in another life, but damn it, Karen, I hate you_.

It was like looking herself in the mirror for the first time. The reflection staring back at her was soft... pretty... But this time there was an edge there, a quiet venom in the soft eyes staring back at her that was beautiful and hypnotic. _I will not wait another damn minute. I will go there, to the hospital, right now, and I will tell him everything_. Everything.

"I have to go Michael... No it can't wait." She looked haggard, but she didn't even bother freshening up. No more lies. Jim wouldn't care. Watch out world, because ole Pammy's gettin what she wants.

Jim felt pretty good actually, although his left eye hurt every time he blinked. He had been drifting in and out of sleep all day, reassuring his Mom, Karen, and the doctors that he felt fine. He had woken up from his latest nap and was about to stir when he noticed that Karen's head was on his chest. She was twisted like a pretzel, sitting in a stool beside his bed, but leaned as far forward as she could to awkwardly rest her head on him. His Mom was not in the room. His fantasy with Pam had died in his sleep. It was just a fantasy. The type of man she chose to be with had just pounded open his face. She had chosen this over him. Fantasies are just that, and life didn't get more real than three shots to the head from an overgrown neanderthal. He looked down at Karen. She looks so small, but my God how she had fought for him. He could see little caked blood stains on the side of her face. His blood. Her shirt was ripped slightly at the shoulder, and had dried coffee and blood marks splattered over it. She was beautiful. He was lucky she hadn't dumped him already. _If I lose a woman like her over some stupid fantasy, then I deserve all I got and worse_.

"Karen." He shook her gently. Her eyes sprung open. She had been awake. "Karen... I love you." 

She froze. She was visibly shivering now. She started to speak, undoubtedly to tell him she loved him too, but Jim interrupted her.

"Wait. Let me finish-- I haven't done much to deserve you but please just let me change all that. I promise I will make it all up to you."

Karen was smiling with her whole face now, and Jim saw a single happy tear appear. She was beautiful. 

Larissa and Jim had just finished his discharge paperwork. Karen had driven back to the office to clear their schedules for the rest of the week and submit the time off paperwork for the two of them. Larissa had been a little surprised when Jim had told her that he and Karen were going to come spend the week with them in his childhood house. Jim wanted the whole family to meet Karen, and some time for everyone to relax. She seemed nice enough, and Jim seemed to really like her. It would be nice to have the whole family together for a while, too. Her husband was taking the week off from work and Jim's sister was coming home for Spring Break. It would be nice. Jim walked her to her car and insisted she leave, as it was getting dark.

"Go ahead, Mom. I'll wait here. Karen is coming back to pick me up and we'll ride up together. I'll see you in a little bit."

"OK sweetheart."

She gave him a kiss goodbye and began to drive away. As she pulled away she saw him in the rear view mirror, standing alone in the parking lot, hands in his pockets, waving goodbye, looking so very relaxed._ What a wonderful man I raised._ She was jolted back to reality by the little compact car speeding into the lot which almost hit her. _Jesus_! Larissa jerked the wheel to avoid a collision. _This is a freakin' hospital. Slow down, woman._ Wherever that curly haired woman behind the wheel was headed, she was in some kind of hurry.

Chapter 4: Pam

Jim strode carelessly around the fringe of the mostly empty parking lot as he watched his mother drive away. A beautiful evening, unseasonably warm for March. The wind was blowing lightly, and he turned to his gently smiling face toward it and breathed. He knew this feeling. He had felt it first 15 years ago, when after the eighth grade sock-hop dance at his junior high school, he had taken his date Jessica out of the gym and onto the soccer field, where they spent the rest of the evening making out, stopping only when the dance ended and her mom arrived to drive them home. They weren't very good at it. At one point they had nearly gotten their braces locked together, but that didn't matter. She was his first girlfriend, and that night was the first time he had felt the almost giddy happiness that marks the start of a new relationship. The possibilities were endless, their future together laid out like a blank canvas begging to be made beautiful. He had felt the same feeling to varying degrees many times since then, although not for a long time.

His relationship with Katy had been dead before it started. There was no happy future with her to anticipate. Jim had used her... sex with a hot girl was a great counterweight to the daily emasculation he was experiencing watching the woman he really wanted linger just out of his reach, engaged to some oafish idiot. He had never even tried to convince himself that Katy was anything more than that, and seeing her happy reaction for Pam and Roy when they had set their wedding date had pushed him over the edge. He scarcely said a word to her on the drive home as she sat in his passenger seat trying to hold back tears. 

Karen was different. When he had met her in Stamford, she had been slightly cold to him. The challenge of cracking her defenses had proven a welcome relief to him. By the time their relationship had started to get traction, Jim had convinced himself that they had great potential together, but before any of it could be realized, the branch closed and Pam was thrust back in his thoughts daily. Well, actually every couple of minutes. He had cheated Karen, and himself, out of all the youthful promise of their new relationship. For his fantasy. His stupid fantasy. The one that had just ended with 19 stitches and 2 weeks supply of painkillers. Things would be different. Karen deserved this. And so did he, dammit. So did he. 

His thoughts were interrupted. A car. Karen must have hauled ass to the office and back. He turned and toward the sound and smiled... _Jesus_. What is she doing here. Probably wants to apologize. Jim would be polite... now that he controlled all the emotional currency in their relationship he could dispense mercy liberally. Pam parked her car about six feet from him, diagonally across four spots, slammed on her parking break and scurried out of the car.

"Jim."

She looked pretty, like she always did. She wasn't smiling. For years, rarely had an hour passed when she hadn't smiled at him. Now it had been weeks. She was now about three feet from him. He unknowingly shifted his weight backwards slightly.

"Hey."

Her gaze was so intense, so un-Pam-like. Like she was trying to melt his eyeballs with her stare. Her mouth was slightly open and she was quietly but noticeably sucking air in like an athlete.

"Jim... I... I..."

_Yeah. You're sorry. Spit it out. Its OK. I don't bite._

"Jim. I need you to know something."

"Wha..."

She interrupted him, raising her voice to recapture the initiative.

"I love you... Jim."

And then again softer, almost whispering.

"I love you."

Jim was knocked completely off balance, his swollen head spinning, his wounds throbbing. The purest form of everything he had ever wanted. Twice. When he daydreamed about making love to Pam, the image was always of her face, tilting back slightly as pleasure overtook her, gazing into his eyes, mouthing those very words to him. The image had haunted him daily for years, and now he was staring right at it. His fantasies about Karen, by contrast, usually involved some kinky erotic position or activity. Get it together, Jim. She will always be just out of reach. _I don't believe you, Beesly. You chose Roy. I'm just your backup... Damn you for toying with me..._

"I'm..." He surprised himself. He thought he was ready for this but he almost started choking. Jim redoubled his efforts.

"I'm sorry Pam... I'm sorry."

He expected her to wither. All he had to do was steel himself to that sight, and he would be safe. He couldn't look at her, but he forced himself to continue...

"I told Karen I loved her today..."

Her response was frighteningly quick. "And I had to cancel a wedding that was already planned and paid for. You started this whole honesty thing, Jim..."

Jim didn't appreciate the irony of the situation. He had never really given much thought to how poorly timed his casino-night confession had been for Pam, but it wasn't funny how he was getting a taste of it now.

Pam continued as his mind went numb. She was talking faster than he had ever heard her talk. "And yes, I held onto Roy when you were the one I really wanted, so I guess you have the right to do the same thing now with her, but just know this, Jim..."

He didn't know of the many tears she had shed for him. In the women's room. At home in bed. In Dwight's protective grasp in the hallway outside the warehouse. They began forming on her cheeks as she continued.

"You gave me everything, you taught me to respect myself, you believed in me when nobody else did. I was headed for nothing but emptiness, and you're the one who saved me, and I'm sure you and Karen could have a great life and all that, but I swear to you, Jim, I _swear _to you, she will never love you like I do... She just can't... Nobody can." 

_My God Pam. My God. I never stood a chance._

This time, he wasn't worried about what she would say when their kiss ended, although that was going to be a while. 

Three blocks from the Hospital, Karen waited impatiently at a stoplight. All the grief of the last six months had melted away. She felt 20 pounds lighter. A smile was glued to her normally stoic face. Three more blocks and they would be together again. They had a long time, hopefully a lifetime, to make beautiful memories together, and she couldn't wait to get started.

Chapter 5: Painful Truths

He had tried many times to convince himself that this was not what he wanted. Not anymore, at least. Less than one hour ago, he though he had succeeded. He could have held her there forever, their lips locked together, their souls finally intertwined, but after their wonderful kiss had dragged into its third minute, Jim reluctantly pulled back, just slightly.

"Pam." She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. She just looked up at him, her eyes beaming. Beaming like the old times when they had been best friends, only so much better.

"Karen is coming back here to pick me up. I have to tell her. This is going to be really bad."

The gravity of what he had to do was rapidly bringing Jim out of his blissful state.

"Been there." Pam answered with a beautiful smile. Her expression turned a little more serious: "Listen... do what you have to do. I'll drive around back and wait. You can call me when you're done, and I'll pick you up. If she doesn't put you back in the hospital..."

_Ha ha, Beesly. Easy for you to say._ This was going to be painful. _Why did I have to tell her I loved her, dammit._

"Oh and Jim... take as long as you need, and please try to be gentle."

Pam gave him a quick kiss, got in her car, and vanished around the corner of the building. For all her new assertiveness, she had lost none of that beautiful kindness. She had won. No need to twist the knife. 

Before Jim had any time to rehearse what he was going to say, Karen's SUV appeared at the entrance made its way inside. It moved straight, and then suddenly vectored toward him. She had seen him. He had been subconsciously standing really still, hoping to become invisible. Hoping she would just drive away.

Rather than pull up and offer him the passenger side door, Karen pulled next to him and got out of the vehicle. Apparently she wanted another real kiss before starting their wonderful journey together. Jim froze. Karen was oblivious. She looked so damned happy. Her hair was blowing gently in the evening breeze, and her stride had a giddy bounce to it that Jim had never seen before. She was wearing a beautiful, toothy smile, not the tight-lipped half-grin that Karen usually passed off as a smile.

For the briefest of moments Jim thought about getting in her car and pretending nothing had happened. There was nothing so beautiful as true, genuine happiness. He had felt it not 3 minutes ago. Now he was staring straight at it, and he was about to destroy it.

She jumped into his arms. He caught her before she got there. While Karen was slightly airborne, Jim grabbed her ribs with his hands, keeping her body from ever touching his. Still holding her, he turned and set her down an arms length away. "Karen, I have to tell you something."

_Its now or never, Halpert, just let her have it._

"I shouldn't have told you what I did..."

She figured out what was going on. Jim could not bear to look her in the eyes as he struggled to continue. He lowered his gaze, and noticed her torso was contracting ever so slightly. She was squeezing her elbows in against her sides, as if she were cold. Or about to get punched in the stomach.

"I was confused..."

Karen took a half step backwards. Her smile was gone. Her eyes looked heavy.

"Karen, I still love her... I'm so sorry."

Karen had cried in front of Jim before. During their five nights of relationship drama earlier that year, she had cried rather openly. Karen had made no attempt to hold back her tears or hide. She was strong enough to look him in the eyes even as she sobbed gently. Jim had been touched by that strength, that honesty. This time was different. She was trying like hell to hold back. She was no longer willing to share her vulnerability with him. Jim felt oddly hurt. He would have preferred she yell at him, hit him, anything but this...

"Why are you doing this to me, Jim. How can you be so cruel... you just... you..."

Her voice was soft. There was no anger there, just pain. Karen staggered backwards. Jim instinctively followed to comfort her...

"Karen..."

"Don't..." 

It was merely a whisper. Karen's retreat was stopped when she bumped up against her car. As this stopped her, Jim continued closing the distance, reaching out to comfort her, not sure what he would say when he reached her. With nowhere to run, she found some strength. 

"DON'T TOUCH ME."

Jim stopped. Karen slinked downwards against her car door. She could only manage a whisper.

"Don't ever touch me again."

She could have called him out for all his cruelty. She could have mentioned how she didn't ask him to come riding into her life, to pursue her, charm her, win her over, only to impose a distance on them that had slowly killed her, all the while fighting to keep her. And then to offer the most beautiful kind of hope only to take it away with such a seemingly calculated, sadistic cruelty. She could have laid a monster guilt trip on him, but she didn't need to . Her tears told the whole story. She was broken, so completely broken, and it was his fault. _Look away, Jim, just look away_. Karen had slowly fallen all the way to the ground, and was now sitting against her car, her head leaning against the door panel, her knees drawn inwards to her chest. She still had his blood on her from that morning. Jim stood motionless, not six feet away. The worst was over. Forever was waiting for him just around the corner.

_He's waiting for you to say something, that motherfucker. He wants you to tell him to leave_. Karen would give him no such pleasure. He didn't have the right to see her hurting. She closed her eyes and fought off the tears. Jim hung around awkwardly for a couple of minutes. He offered one last feeble apology and said he hoped they could be friends and that she was really special. She couldn't look at him. Eventually, he turned and slowly walked away. _That's it. Go. Just walk away._ She could no longer keep her emotions from stabbing her. Five minutes ago, she had been so happy...

Karen tried hard to keep breathing. She was almost past crying. Her head was throbbing, her stomach twisted painfully. _How could he do this to me. How could he be so damn cruel. I gave him everything._ She had indeed. She had let him do things to her... physically and emotionally... she had opened herself to him so completely and in return he kicked her to the curb with a degree of cruelty that Karen never knew existed. She felt so violated, so angry, so very _used. _

It was completely dark by the time she forced herself to move. She turned around, and, still on her knees, opened the door of her SUV and slowly climbed in. Her hands were shaking. Her knees were shaking. Breathe, start the engine, start driving.

She needed to feel the only love that she still trusted, and possibly would ever trust again. The only place she could feel safe, feel loved unconditionally. She needed to feel something other than _this. _She didn't noticed the "Leaving Scranton" sign through her wet eyes and sporadic tears. It was taking everything she had left to keep from crashing. After two hours that seemed like days, she barely noticed the "Welcome to Connecticut" sign either. The only place she had left to run. _Home. _

Her eyes were still puffy and wet when she pulled up to the gate, parked and stepped outside. God it was cold. She opened the steel gate and headed up the short walkway. Then she saw him... "Daddy." _Daddy I'm home_. She dropped to her knees and embraced the cold granite headstone. _Antonio Filipelli. 1947-1994. Beloved Father and Husband_. She squeezed that rectangular piece of cold rock as hard as she could, pulling herself against it, resting her tear stained cheek against all that was left of the only man who had ever _really _loved her. She could only manage a whisper... "_Daddy, I miss you so much... Don't ever leave me_."

Chapter 6: Five Years Later

Jim had to chuckle when he paused to take in what was going on around him. Dunder Mifflin was circling the drain. Downsizing had slowly claimed more than half of the companies employees over the past five years. The bottom line was the big players were just more efficient. Prices were driven down, profit-margins squeezed. Corporate was gutted. Executives were leaving. Jan Levinson-Scott had taken a severance package a year ago and was doing some sporadic consulting work, but mostly enjoying spending time with her new daughter, who was entering her terrible-twos.

In contrast, the Scranton branch was holding its own. Business was down only slightly, and profit margins were steady because costs were down due to attrition. Stanley had retired, but Jim and Michael had been able to hang onto most of his clients. Sales had moved from a salary+commission scale to an almost 100 commission schedule, effectively forcing Ryan to resign, with exactly 2 clients and 1 lingering office fling to show for his four years at Dunder Mifflin. (Jim had reclaimed his desk that day.) Andy made very little under the new plan, but didn't seem to mind. In contrast, Dwight was actually now the best paid guy in the office, having successfully retained his own clients and assimilated most of Karen's. His Rolodex now had the strength of a grown man and a 110 pound woman combined. Global warming had given him record beet harvests. He was now a brown belt. Fatherhood had not slowed him down at all. Seven months after he married Angela, she had given birth to Abraham Octavius Schrute.

The irony was that the same ignorance of all things business that had made Michael Scott spend his career in the shadow of "rising stars" like Josh Porter was now his greatest asset. Yes, he had failed to grow the business when he first became manager, but now that the industry was collapsing, his clients were showing amazing loyalty, refusing to abandon him for the large suppliers. After all, this was a man who, for a customer, had once put a cigarette _through _a quarter. 

Karen had left five years ago--- limped away less than a week after Jim had broken her so completely. She had never spoken to him again... not that he really blamed her, but Jim had been genuinely happy when, earlier that year, Andy had put in for a week off to fly to California to attend Karen's wedding. He would later learn that she had married some Silicon Valley millionaire who she met on some violent Internet video game. He would never learn that she was truly happy and had moved on, forgiven him.

Pam was still the receptionist at Dunder Mifflin. She chose to remain the receptionist, and was happy with her choices. The truth was it was such easy work, and she was doing freelance artistic design on the side, and whenever she had a client, she could do her sketches behind her desk in between phone calls. It was a work violation of some kind, but Michael looked the other way. He was so proud of her. Plus every now and then she would give him a nice drawing which he would hang in his office. His favorite was the one of him posed on a fire truck. Now in her mid 30's, she was as pretty as ever. She was not in the office today, but Jim still looked over at reception frequently, if for no other reason than to take in her name plate. _Pam Halpert_. She was at the doctor's this morning, and after that she was off to buy some new clothes. She was starting to show, after all. It was unlikely Dunder Mifflin would be his career, but Jim planned to enjoy the ride for as long as it lasted.


End file.
